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Movie: Jack the Giant Slayer

Not great but not as mediocre after all as what the critics and its quite dismal box office earnings would have me believe. Yes, it was number one in North America, with roughly $27M in its opening weekend, but that sort of pales in comparison when you factor in its huge budget of $200M. Obviously, it’s not going to recoup its budget. So any luck of it having a sequel is very slim (looking at you also, John Carter).

The movie starts off interestingly enough, with little Jack reading through his late mom’s storybook with the help of his dad, the story of the giants and the beanstalks, who have by now faded into legend after so many years. Fast forward to ten years later, and Jack learns that the legend is true after all, and by some twist of fate, their princess got carried off into the clouds literally when the beanstalks suddenly sprouted in and around Jack’s house. There are little twists here and there, most obvious of which is the princess’ addition, and Jack gets some help in the form of Elmont, the leader of the king’s army.

Doesn’t this giant remind you of Voldemort, you know, before Fiennes took on the role?

Acting-wise, I have to give kudos to the cast for acting seriously enough to make the story believable and yet, not looking stupid enough as what we have with other comedies. And while it’s not a movie that you just have to see, it’s an entertaining one that didn’t make me feel cheated of my hard-earned money.

Back-track a bit. Wait? Did I just say comedy?

Honestly, I am confused what this movie is. True, it’s an adventure movie and there’s a spattering of funny scenes (I smile even now, thinking of Ewan McGregor stuffed in a bun together with pigs, left to roast in a fiery oven), and the characters are engaging enough (I never really paid much attention to Nicholas Hoult in X-Men First Class; only now do I realize he’s kind of cute, with his lopsided grin and agreeable expression).

The problem is I can’t really make up my mind whether it’s supposed to be a comedy or a drama, or a suspense/thriller. I can’t even decide if it’s for kids or for adults, never mind that the rating clearly says it’s PG-13. I guess that’s where the problem of this movie lies. The production should have decided whether or not they were aiming for kids or not, and from there, decided what tone and storyline they wanted to pursue.

But for what it’s worth – I did enjoy it. And that alone is reason enough for me to recommend this movie.